Scene 5 opens with Blanche fanning herself in the bedroom while reading a freshly‑written letter to Shep Huntleigh, mocking her own deception and giggling at the absurdity of the plea. Stella, dressing nearby, questions the laughter; Blanche admits she is “a liar” and recites the absurd draft, promising “forewarned is forearmed.”

A sudden noisy quarrel erupts upstairs: Eunice shouts at Steve, accusing him of assault and threatening to call the police. Their fight intensifies, furniture crashes, and Blanche jokes, “Did he kill her?” Eunice descends, frantic, demanding police. Stanley arrives in a flamboyant silk bowling shirt, asks about the disturbance, and dismisses it, saying Eunice will have a drink. Steve, nursing a bruise on his forehead, appears briefly, muttering about the Four Deuces.

Stanley and Blanche exchange sharp banter about astrology, each guessing the other’s zodiac sign—Aries for Stanley, Capricorn for herself, then Virgo for Blanche—while Stella intermittently hides in a closet. Their conversation drifts to a man named Shaw who supposedly met Blanche in Laurel, leading Blanche to claim she was confused with “another party” at the Flamingo hotel. Stanley teases her about the cheap perfume she uses and the cost of her cologne.

Stella tries to console Blanche, who panics about gossip in Laurel, her fading beauty, and losing Belle Reve. Blanche declares she is “fading now” and worries she cannot sustain the charade of softness and attractiveness. Stella offers her a drink; Blanche spills coke on her skirt, shrieks, and then laughs nervously as Stella dabs the stain with a hanky. Blanche admits she is terrified of being judged for her age, noting that men consider women over thirty “put out.” She confesses she has not told Mitch—her potential suitor—her true age and hopes for his respect.

A young man, a collector for The Evening Star, enters, asking for donations. Blanche jokes about “stars taking up collections,” then asks him for a light. After a brief, awkward exchange, she flirts, asks the time, comments on the rainy afternoon, and ultimately kisses him quickly, then pushes him away, insisting she must keep her hands off children. He leaves, bewildered.

Mitch finally appears around the corner carrying a bunch of roses, which Blanche calls her “Rosenkavalier.” She greets him exuberantly, pressing the roses to her lips, while Stella watches. The scene ends with Blanche’s fragile hope that Mitch’s arrival might rescue her from Stanley’s tyranny and her own self‑destruction.